The political conflicts that rage over immigration will eventually be settled by today’s young people, who overwhelmingly believe immigrants are good for America, a guest speaker at Red Bank Regional High said Thursday.

Until then, however, the fears of immigration opponents must be met with data that demonstrates the economic benefits of immigration, he and others said.

Tammy Murphy reacts as her husband, Governor-elect Phil Murphy, calls her while she’s delivering a speech at Saturday’s Unity Rally in Red Bank. The event drew a full house to Pilgrim Baptist Church, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Ignoring biting cold, dozens of Red Bank-area residents participated in a “unity” march and rally Saturday in honor of two civil rights champions: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and journalist T. Thomas Fortune.

Anchored at Pilgrim Baptist Church, the event featured a cameo appearance by the spouse of Governor-elect Phil Murphy as part of a whirlwind, pre-inaugural tour of New Jersey.

Red Bank Charter School S students with Principal Meredith Pennotti on International Day.

Classrooms at Red Bank Charter School were transformed into disaster zones as students immersed themselves in a learning experience that combined performance art with history, culture, science and cuisine as part of the school’s annual International Day.

Held in response to the the sniper attack that killed 59 concertgoers and wounded hundreds more in Las Vegas Sunday night, the event ended with a shared lighting of candles. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Once again, Red Bank area residents gathered for a march and vigil Wednesday night to protest senseless, gun-related violence in America.

This time, the brief event, attended by about 50 participants, had a more consistently political, rather than spiritual, tone.

Red Bank-area religious and political leaders are once again organizing an anti-violence vigil, this time in the aftermath of the Las Vegas sniper attack that killed at least 58 concertgoers and wounded hundreds more in Las Vegas Sunday night.

An status update on the Facebook page of postmaster Michael Angelo Ciano, below, showed an assault rifle with the comment, “Anti-muslim vaccinations.” (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank’s postmaster has attracted the attention of human rights activists over what they call “vile” Facebook posts promoting racism, misogyny and apparent endorsements of violence against liberals and other groups, redbankgreen has learned.

A United States Postal Service spokesman confirmed that the agency is looking into complaints about photos and comments posted by postmaster Michael Angelo Ciano on his personal page.

“Imagine the work environment in that post office for any employees that are other than white men,” one woman wrote.

Hundreds gathered at borough hall for a rally before a march and vigil, including Mx Rowan, below, who wore a yarmulke with the Hebrew alphabet. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Answering the racist and anti-Semitic shouts heard last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, about 400 Red Bank-area residents gathered Wednesday night to affirm their belief in love over hate.

“We’re all standing here together united in our humanity,” said Hazim Yassin, of the American Muslim Action Network, at a vigil in Ralph ‘Johnny Jazz’ Park on Shrewsbury Avenue that followed a one-mile march from borough hall. Read More »

“There are no ‘very fine’ Nazis or members of the KKK,” said state Senator Jen Beck, seen here at the Mayor’s Ball in 2015. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Republican State Senator Jen Beck on Wednesday joined a chorus of lawmakers condemning President Trump for blaming “both sides” in violent clashes between white-supremacist marchers and their opponents in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.

Beck blasted Trump’s comments as “outrageous,” and called on him to retract and apologize for them.

Hours after violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, about 150 local residents and community leaders gathered in Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park for a “unity and peace” demonstration Saturday night.

But unlike a rally held in the West Front Street park one day after the start of the Trump Administration, this one did not avoid mentioning Trump’s name, as several speakers laid responsibility for the day’s outburst of hatred and deadly violence in Virginia on the president.

First came the spoken warning of a test, and then, the extended, ear-piercing blare.

During the chilliest part of the Cold War, the weekly tests of the Civil Defense air raid sirens mounted on utility poles across town served as a weekly reminder to Red Bank residents and visitors that the potential for nuclear catastrophe was real, imminent, and that they should be ready for it.

Students and teachers at Red Bank Regional High School are always looking for opportunities to improve their skills through competitive engagements. To that end, RBR’s World Language teacher of Italian, Federica Proietti Cesaretti, entered her students in the 2017 competition sponsored by the Italian Teachers Association of New Jersey (ITANJ).

Red Bank Regional competed with with approximately 40 students from eight other high schools, submitting multi-media projects in Italian, tied to the theme of Italy’s response to climate change. When the winners were announced in April. RBR swept all three top awards, taking first, second and third place.

Left to right: presenters Mark Jeffers, Gianna Maita, and Sue Finley are pictured at the second annual “World Language in Our Community” panel discussion, hosted at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional.

Press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School

On November 28, five distinguished guests participated in the second annual “World Language in Our Community” panel discussion, hosted at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. This year’s panelists were Sue Finley, Taylor Forry, Mark Jeffers, Gianna Maita, and Greg Thomas.

Student attendance was optional, and – in a repeat of last year — there was a “standing room only” crowd. The panelists shared their career and life experiences as they related to world languages and cultures, and participated in a follow-up question and answer session.

Canvas hosts a return visit by a Haitian artist who’s again raising funds after a natural disaster. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

For the second time in two years, Canvas Studio Art in Rumson will once again host an informal meet and greet with Haitian artist David Thebaud.

Scheduled for Monday afternoon, the event marks a return to the West River Road space for the co-founder of the ELT Art School in Haiti, who last appeared here in 2014 as part of a benefit event for victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake. (As detailed here on redbankgreen, the celebrated painter known as “Tebo” also paid a visit to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School).

Now, the Caribbean island nation is again reeling from the effects of a natural disaster — Hurricane Matthew. And as Tebo explains, the Haitian people are now more than ever in desperate need of clean water, food and other necessities.

Servicemen and women will be among the local resident who gather at the monument to war veterans at Monmouth Street and Drummond Place in Red Bank for a Veterans Day commemoration Friday. Click “read more” for town-by-town events on the Green. (Click photos to enlarge)

Two representatives from the Jerusalem International YMCA, Raed Abu Leil and Hannah Rendell, visit the CYMCA in Red Bank on November 11 for a special free public discussion.

Press release from The Community YMCA

The current situation in the city of Jerusalem — and the important work of the Jerusalem International YMCA (JIY) towards conflict mitigation — will be the topic of a public-welcome discussion, hosted on Friday, November 11 at The Community YMCA Family Health and Wellness Center in Red Bank.

Scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the facility’s gymnasium, the free presentation will feature two guest speakers with experience and expertise in fostering a better and more peaceful Jerusalem, and who are passionate about the importance of shared positive experiences between Israeli and Palestinian communities.

A Rumson woman has accused Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in 1998, according to news reports Thursday.

Karena Virginia, a 45-year-old life coach and yoga guru, claims that she was waiting for a car at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, New York, when Trump, whom she had not met, made comments about her body as he walked by before grabbing her by an arm touching her breast, she said at a press conference in New York, according to NBC News.

About two dozen Red Bank residents gathered at Pilgrim Baptist Church Monday night to watch the first 2016 presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton and participate in a discussion afterward.

Did you watch? Did anything you heard change, or reinforce, your thinking about the candidates? Feel free to share your takeaway in a comment. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)